The Game Gear was Sega's response to the Nintendo Gameboy, the Monochrome handheld designed by Nintendo's Gunpei Yokoi, and released in 1989. Sega had taken note of the general publics criticisms of the Gameboy, and wanted to make a handheld console "everything that the Game Gear wasn't".

The Game Gear was released late 1989 in Japan, 1990 in North America and as usual, us Europeans had to wait even longer, until 1991!

The most obvious different between the two consoles was the 4096 colour palette of the Game Gear, with a maximum of 32 different colours on screen at any time. The screen size was larger than the Gameboy, and was back-lit which meant that you could play it pretty much anywhere, unlike the Gameboy which needed good light.

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The console itself was held lengthways, with buttons on either side. This ergonomic design change made the Game Gear much easier on the hands - one criticism of the Gameboy was that it had a very cramped feel it, and many people complained of sore wrists & hands after extended game play.

The Game Gear was, in essence, a portable Sega Master System. This meant that many Master System Games could be easily ported onto the handheld console. Indeed, a Master System Converter add-on was released, which allowed any Master System Game to be plugged into the Game Gear.

Another add-on which proved to be a popular selling point was the TV Tuner. A small device which clipped to the back of the Game Gear turned the handheld console into a small portable TV, not unlike the Sony Watchman. Other add-ons included a rechargeable battery pack, screen magnifier & multilink cable, to allow two Game Gears to be connected in versus play.

With all these add-ons and advantages over the Gameboy, you would expect the Game Gear to have been the more popular of the two consoles. Unfortunately for Sega, it was not - they had overlooked one very important detail. Battery Life. In the end the deciding factor in the latest chapter of the Sega vs Nintendo war was how long the batteries lasted.

While the Game Gear did indeed have everything the Gameboy lacked, it had to pay a price for these luxuries; the average lifespan on the batteries was between 3 and 5 hours, whereas the Gameboy could easily exceed 10 hours. This was a problem suffered by many other handhelds such as the Neo-Geo pocket and the Atari Lynx - while they may have been superior in every other way, it was the simplest of factors that made the Gameboy the overall winner, and eventually the best selling console of all time.

As with all good things, the Sega Game gears came to and end in 1997. In the end, there were over 200 games released for the console, although many of them never made it out of Japan, such as the excellent Sonic Drift & Sonic Drift 2, and take-on of Super Mario Kart which included a multi-link option. Thankfully these can all be played on any Game Gear as there is no region lockout, due to there being no TV compatibility problems.

Fast and furious on the ice action with all NHL teams and NHLPA players. Regular, Playoff and Shootout game modes along with edit lines, penalties and manual goal-keeper features give up to two players the opportunity to master the fastest team sport in the world.

Experience for yourself the thrill and excitement of competing in seven spectacular Olympic track, field and pool events. Olympic Gold, the challenge – to win you’ll need all the strength, skill and determination you can muster!

No mission too dangerous, no location too hostile, James Pond is FI5H's top secret agent. A master of disguise who rubs out ennemies with a swish of a fin, Pond is about to start his most difficult mission to date... Operation Starfi5h. Good Luck!

One of the greatest Sega arcade games of all time hits your Sega Mega Drive! Drive across every landscape imaginable in Outrun, the ultimate race against time. Use your driving skills to show the world that you are champion on the highways!

Strap yourself in for a life or death ride. In hot pursuit of enemy agents, blaze a trail across Europe in the worlds most powerful vehicle. Only skill and determination will get you all your way to your destination - Berlin.

Play against 30 computer players with different skills, looks and powers. 3 different court types - grass, hard and clay, 18 world Tour locations, over 450 frames of player animation. Interactive crowd noises, shots include volley, lob, drop and power. high precision after touch ball control to add power and direction.

Play against 30 computer players with different skills, looks and powers. 3 different court types - grass, hard and clay, 18 world Tour locations, over 450 frames of player animation. Interactive crowd noises, shots include volley, lob, drop and power. high precision after touch ball control to add power and direction.

You are about to enter the world of big-time golf. A huge crowd surrounds the 18th hole of The Players Championship. In PGA Tour Golf you get it all. The excitement, the fun, the challenge and the rewards of the real PGA Tour!

If its on the tour, its in the game! More challenges in PGA Tour Golf 2 then before - seven courses, five tournaments, Skins game on every course, play with the pros, new EA Sports hole browser, new draw and fade meter and all new graphics.

Kidnapped by the evil sorcerer Popils, the beautiful princess needs your help to escape. Trapped in a series of mindbending puzzles, it's up to you to destroy the blocks in the correct order and lead her to safety.

Silent. Invisible. Invincible. The Predator is in town with a few days to kill! It comes from a distant world. Invisible, it’s armed with powerful weapons unlike anything we know. It mercilessly stalks humans…for sport. As Lt. Harrigan, it’s up to you to rescue innocent people from the clutches of the evil drug gangs –...

The # 1 arcade game that ruled the Earth is unleashed! Features the first ever full stop-motion animation, a colossal fighting engine for incredible hit combos and a massive number of normal moves, special moves and spectacular fatalities. One mother Hubbard of a game!

In the near future, the worlds of Robocop and The Terminator merge into a single reality. You, as Robocop, must save mankind by destroying the Skynet super computer in the possible future in which machines rule the Earth and Skynet is supreme.

Sega Game Gear console, containing a Z80 3.86Mhz processor, 4096 colour palette, 4 channel stereo sound and a backlit screen. Add-on accessories (not included) such as Sega Master System Converter, Battery Pack, Magnifier and a TV Tuner to turn your Game Gear into a portable Television make this a great handheld console. This console comes...

We all know that one of the criticisms with the Game Gear is the battery life (or lack of it!). Thankfully, there is an AC adapter which means that no longer do you have to worry about the batteries failing just as you are about to finish Sonic Chaos! The length of the cable is 3 metres. This item is boxed and in good working order.

Sega Game Gear console, containing a Z80 3.86Mhz processor, 4096 colour palette, 4 channel stereo sound and a backlit screen. Add-on accessories (not included) such as Sega Master System Converter, Battery Pack, Magnifier and a TV Tuner to turn your Game Gear into a portable Television make this a great handheld console. The console is boxed and...

We all know that one of the criticisms with the Game Gear is the battery life (or lack of it!). Well to save you a fortune on batteries Sega designed this nifty little battery back which can be used instead of normal batteries. Requires a Sega Power Supply to charge the pack - we can supply one - they are in the Sega Megadrive section. This item...